Now that Amazon has purchased Whole Foods, I’ve noticed some changes in what they sell in the store (for example, there’s a smaller cheese selection). The latest is, they have discontinued selling whole-wheat elbow pasta. I asked a stock person and they said it had been a big seller but it’s being discontinued. Yesterday, the only whole-wheat pasta they had was penne, and it looks like they’re trying to get rid of it. However, they DO have a huge range of gluten-free pasta made from everything under the sun – chickpeas, beets, etc. Fine, sell the gluten-free pasta, people need it! But don’t stop selling a basic item like whole-wheat pasta!
I’m sorry for your loss. Let us know if there is anything we can do.
Your store may have decided to stop carrying it, but Whole Foods is still selling many varieties of whole wheat pasta. I see it online, both their in house brand and other brands, and it’s still sold in my local store.
ETA: Oops, they still sell whole wheat penne, but I don’t see elbows listed.
Since Amazon bought Whole Foods, I almost feel like I’m shopping at Walmart when I go there. People are restocking during shopping hours, which wasn’t the case before the purchase. The meat case is still empty at 8:00 when they open, and I have to ask someone to go in the back and find me some burger or pork chops when I shop early. They’ve cut way back on many high-end items they used to carry, in every department, and subbed in a lot more medium-quality store brand stuff.
I still like Whole Foods, but there are a whole lot more reasons not to shop there anymore.
ETA: and the workers all look unhappy and ground-down nowadays, too.
To add to teela’s post, the selection of grass-fed beef is almost non-existent now.
I wonder if that’s a store thing, because I’ve got two WF near me and they both carry a good selection of grass fed and organic grass fed meats. Worth a chat with the store manager maybe?
You can buy it from Amazon.
THat link shows Barilla elbows, not the store brand 365 elbows. Our store does not have either.
Oh, have you asked the store manager if you could special order them?
Don’t want to rummage online for nutritional info right this minute - what is the carb:fiber:calorie count of each? See one main reason for whole wheat pasta is purportedly the coarser content, it purportedly has better fiber content than standard past from durham semolina. If the Fiber content of chickpea [just as a random grab] is just as good or better than the fiber content of whole wheat pasta, the theoretic glycemic index maintains the advantage of switching to chickpea over whole wheat. If it is an allergy or taste issue, what about one of the alternate gluten free pastas?
I am relatively neutral about my pasta as long as it is not overwhelmingly not to my taste, it serves as a sauce and cheese transport system. [Not sure which nongluten pasta it was, but I would recognize it if I saw it again - it smelled like musty sweat socks, I couldn’t even make myself taste it. ]
No, those are not whole wheat.
That’s not whole wheat elbows.
My point is not that I am unable to find whole-wheat elbows ANYWHERE, or that whole wheat is superior to chickpea, etc. My point is that it is a common staple food that Whole Foods is discontinuing.
I can think of a couple of reasonable explanations for it, if the product is actually being discontinued:
- Despite what the stockperson at your Whole Foods told you, the item isn’t really a “a big seller” – in other words, it may not be the “common staple food” that you believe it is
- The item may have sold well at your Whole Foods location, but didn’t sell well nationally
- If Whole Foods buys that item from a third-party manufacturer (rather than having it produced solely for Whole Foods), that manufacturer may have discontinued making the item
- The manufacturer may not have been able to reliably meet Whole Foods’ orders, and Whole Foods chose to discontinue the item rather than have it be out of stock regularly
Gluten is like a structural component. It’s like a stretchy glue. Foods without gluten may not be as durable or may be harder to cook. That’s typically the case with gluten free pasta. They have to add a lot of things to it so that it holds together, and those things can make it sticky. It’s harder to boil since it wants to clump together and it may fuse into a blob if you let it sit too long when it’s drained. It’s not as forgiving as traditional gluten-based pastas. There is also a lot of variation in gluten-free pasta based on what they put in it and what process they use to make it. Normal pasta is all pretty much the same, but you may need to do a lot of experimenting with various gluten-free pastas to fine one that meets your needs.
Heck, Aldi’s in my area carries grass-fed beef… I’d ask about that. EVERY store in my area carries it, I can’t imagine Whole Foods giving up on it. It’s not like I’m in some snazzy high-end city, either, I’m in the outer 'burbs bordering on farmland where the two main food groups are grease and white bread.
My wife and I have been changing to a mostly plant and whole grain diet. Just this morning she remembered the first time we went into a Whole Foods - at least 20 years ago. It was beautiful (and EXPENSIVE!) with gorgeous piles of produce.
Today’s Whole Foods bear no resemblance to that. Far more processed foods.
- Newer products in the pasta aisle such as lentil, chick pea, and zucchini pastas are competing for the same market and driving out some more traditional (whole wheat) varieties.
I don’t buy a lot at Whole Paycheck (a few special holiday items for the most part), but on a visit this past Xmas to the nearest location I saw loads of produce (unlike their other offerings, not much more expensive than at the Giant Predatory Bird and Kroger).
I didn’t check for whole wheat pasta. We’re mostly Barilla traditionalists.